Tifa's Nightmare
by Shade the Hero
Summary: This isn't how it happened, why is Tifa unable to escape like before? Where is Barret? Where is Cloud?


_I've had this on my computer for a while and only didn't upload it before because I had too much to focus on at the time. Now that I've got some of that work out of the way I feel its time to bring this little one-shot into the light. It's just a simple drabble I wrote when I was bored, but it turned out really sweet._

 _Enjoy!_

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Tifa couldn't believe it. After everything that had happened, everything that they had been through, it all was about to end. They had failed. AVALANCHE was captured, Meteor had been summoned and was now hovering in the sky, waiting for Sephiroth to awaken and Cloud was…gone. Now here she was being led to her death with Barret following right behind.

Scarlett, one of Shinra's higher-ups was personally making sure Tifa was strapped in properly. Tifa's mind was blank and completely tuned out what the other woman was saying. How could everything have gone so wrong? They never should have set out to find the Black Materia, never should have tried to challenge Shinra. They should have gotten Aerith away and fled, lived somewhere where Shinra couldn't find them. Perhaps they could have stayed in Cosmo Canyon. It was peaceful enough.

Tifa remembered that night when they were all sitting around the camp fire. Barret poking at the flames, Nanaki laying on his side, sitting next to Aerith. Tifa was staring at the flames, remembering distant, happier times and Cloud sitting beside her before discussing their next move. Tifa would have given anything to go back to that moment. To make different choices.

"Stuck up bitch!"

Those words and a painful slap brought Tifa back to reality. She was strapped into a gas chamber with Scarlett and another grunt soldier. Scarlett sneered at her as she wished Tifa luck holding her breath and told her to enjoy the slow death of the poisonous vapors. With that she left the room with the soldier following behind. Something shiny fell out of his pocket and Tifa smiled to herself at her sudden case of luck.

The door sealed shut behind her and she couldn't hear anything through the solid steel door. She hoped that meant they couldn't hear her as well. As gas began to pour into the room Tifa took in a large breath of air and held it as she wiggled and tried to get to the key. It was hard and she was certain she had pulled a muscle in her leg, but she managed to get it between her feet.

A pounding at the door made her look over and through the small window in the door she saw Barret trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge. They made eye contact for a moment and she read his lips: "Hold on!"

She nodded and tried to reach the key, but no matter how much she pulled against her restraints she couldn't get it. She tried moving her arms, pulling on her left, then her right, even trying to lean forward and grab the key from her feet with her mouth, but she couldn't reach. It was getting harder to hold her breath and she realized that she was running out of time.

Tifa tried and tried, refusing to give up, but eventually she couldn't hold her breath any longer and with one final weak attempt she tried and failed to reach for the key. With tears in her eyes and her lungs feeling like they were about to explode she exhaled and took in a big breath in air, breathing in the deadly gas. The room soon echoed with her coughs as she gagged, tears streaming from her eyes as the fumes stung her eyes.

She struggled against her bonds, reaching for the key, but in a panic she accidently kicked the key away. As her vision began to spin, Tifa remembered that promise Cloud had made all those years ago. If she were ever in trouble that he would come and save her.

"Please…" she called out in between coughs, "…help me,…Cloud." She felt herself slipping into the darkness. "You promised…Cloud…"

"Tifa."

With her last bit of strength she looked around, was that Barret? Did he finally manage to get the door open? But, why was it still so hard to breathe?

"Tifa?"

No, that wasn't Barret. The voice wasn't right. "Please, help me," she called out, unable to fight it any longer.

"Tifa!"

"C-can't b-breathe…I'm scared…"

"TIFA!"

Tifa's eyes shot open. Her frightened eyes instantly locked onto another pair of equally frightened eyes which glowed faintly in the dim light of her room. She blinked and her vision cleared. There was no mistaking that spiky blonde hair. "C-Cloud?"

He let out a sigh of relief, but didn't let go of her. Tifa looked down and saw that her blanket had become tightly wrapped around her neck which Cloud had tried to loosen. "What…what happened?" she asked.

Cloud sat back and let her work at loosening the blanket as he explained. "I was in my office when I heard you crying out,"

"What was I saying?" she asked as she sat up, finally managing to pull the blanket free.

"You were…" he hesitated for a moment before looking up at her, "You were asking for my help. You said that I promised to save you,"

Tifa looked down at her sheets, ashamed. That dream felt so real, part of it was she was actually choking, but it brought up bad memories. Memories that terrified her and that she wanted to forget. It was from a bad time and even though everything worked out in the end those memories still haunted her.

"Tifa?"

She looked up at him and couldn't help a small smile. He was here. This was the Cloud she knew. Caring, thoughtful, cute, a bit shy, sometimes awkward and clumsy, but with a heart of gold and a strong pair of shoulders that were always there to cry on or would always protect her. No longer was he tormented by his past. He knew who he was and so did she. He was Cloud Strife of Nibelheim, master swordsman and the planet's savior. Self proclaimed Delivery Boy from Edge and the only person who could win Tifa's heart.

"I…I'm okay now, just a bad dream," she replied when he gave her a worried look.

"You sure?" he asked.

Tifa nodded with a smile, "Yeah,"

With a nod he got up and slowly headed out of the room in order to finish up his work before calling it a night himself.

"Cloud?"

"Hmm?" he stopped in the doorway to look back at her.

Tifa watched him for a moment before smiling and shaking her head. "Never mind, thanks."

He hesitated for a second more, trying not to let on how seeing her thrashing in her bed and choking on her sheets had startled him before nodding, "Sure." With that he returned to his office, but Tifa noticed he had left the door open.

With a smile she looked down at the ring he had given her and rubbed the band with her thumb before laying back down. Knowing that Cloud was nearby gave her comfort and the courage she needed to face any nightmare.


End file.
